title: Racial/ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors among women veterans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, accounting for 24.5 % of all deaths among women. Earlier research has demonstrated racial/ethnic differences in prevalence of cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To empirically examine the prevalence of CVD risk factors among a national sample of women Veterans by race/ethnicity, providing the first portrait of women Veterans' cardiovascular care needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, national population-based telephone survey of 3,611 women Veterans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women Veterans were queried about presence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, tobacco use and physical activity. Four racial/ethnic categories were created: Hispanic, Non-Hispanic White (White), Non-Hispanic Black (Black), and Other. Logistic regressions were conducted for each risk factor to test for racial/ethnic differences, controlling for age (under 40 vs. 40 and over).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Racial/ethnic differences in CVD risk factors persisted after adjusting for age. Black women Veterans were more likely to report a diagnosis of diabetes (OR: 2.58, 95 % CI: 1.07, 6.21) or hypertension (OR: 2.31, 95 % CI: 1.10, 4.83) and be obese (OR: 2.06, 95 % CI: 1.05, 3.91) than White women Veterans. Hispanic women Veterans were more likely than White women Veterans to report diabetes (OR: 4.20, 95 % CI: 1.15, 15.39) and daily smoking (OR: 3.38, 95 % CI: 1.01, 11.30), but less likely to report a hypertension diagnosis (OR 0.21, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.64) or to be obese (OR: 0.39, 95 % CI: 0.18, 0.81).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among women Veterans, CVD risks vary by race/ethnicity. Black women Veterans consistently face higher CVD risk compared to White women Veterans, while results are mixed for Hispanic women Veterans.
authors.affiliation: VA Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center of Excellence for the Study of Healthcare Provider Behavior, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Danielle.Rose@va.gov
authors.forename: Danielle E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Donna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Washington
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000208:ethnology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D014728:Veterans; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult